Polye, reduce tax or at least tax us reasonably

 THE announcement by Treasurer Don Polye regarding the allocation of K9.5 million for a taxation review is surprising. 

If Polye or any member of the National Executive Council or the tax department has been following  this issue of excessive tax imposed on employees in the petroleum industry, it will definitely send the signal out that there is something wrong with the tax imposed on this group of workers. 

I appreciate Polye speaking out on the tax review but I prefer doing what is important at hand rather than spending time and money to come sit with your taxation review panel to go over the tax review. 

Numerous letters on this issue have appeared in The National.

There is something wrong with the percentage of tax that the Government imposes on petroleum industry wortkers.

Workers in other countries are taxed at a much lower rate and 

still get their money’s worth of services.

I am one of those in this country who pay  high taxes and have yet to see tangible benefits.

What else do you expect me to say? 

What is more important?

My job or going to your meeting? 

My employers do not care if I get  leave to attend that tax review panel. 

If  I do, I lose my hours and my bonus and still get taxed heavily. 

I could even lose my job for taking a day off for no good reason.

I would love to contribute to your taxation review committee but due to the work location and environment that I am  in, I cannot come to your taxation review.

But I can ask you to consider one thing, and that is to decrease my tax or reduce it to a reasonable percentage.

In case the Government still has not heard clearly, we want a decrease in tax that we pay.

At least make it reasonable, maybe 10 or 12%.

Do not tax me 30% or 40% of what I sweat to earn. 

So, all I ask your taxation review committee is to give us guys working in the petroleum industry a good tax cut.

Make it something reasonably realistic. 

Do not rip off so much from my salary which I work hard for. 

After your taxation review committee sits, never must you rip me off again please.

Michael Baker , Via email